


Lands of the March

by bunn



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Beleriand, Elf Politics, First Age, Gen, March of Maedhros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 12:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15219581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunn/pseuds/bunn
Summary: Maedhros explains to Amrod and Amras which lands and duties he has granted to his brothers, and why.Written for Feanorian Fun Bingo prompt 'Building a Home'.  Not that this is fun exactly.  Though probably this is the kind of thing that Maedhros considers to be at least a very rewarding kind of work.





	Lands of the March

“You want us to go south?” Amrod said doubtfully, frowning at the roughly-drawn map. “Away from the Enemy?”

Amrod, Amras and Maedhros were sitting together in a tall stone room that looked out North from Maedhros’s new-built fortress of Himring, out across the wide plains of Lothlann. You could not see the ominous three-headed peak of Thangorodim from here, only rolling plains of soft spring-green grasses growing tall and strong under the fierce new Sun.

“Yes,” Maedhros agreed. He still looked a little lean, but his face shone with purpose, and there was little to show that he had been a captive of the Enemy, save for the missing hand. He leaned forward and pointed at the map with an air of stern concentration. “I’ve already sent Celegorm off to start fortifying the pass of Aglon, as you know. He and Aegnor used to get along pretty well, so he’s my best choice for the West-border with Dorthonion.”

“You think Aegnor is going to start talking to us again?” Amrod asked. “He seemed pretty unimpressed with Caranthir last time I saw him.”

Maedhros made a pained expression. “Yes, I know. Which is why I have sent Caranthir off into the East by Lake Helevorn, as far from Angrod and Aegnor as I can put him! But Aegnor’s no fool, and he knows what Caranthir can be like. Aegnor will simmer down in a year or so, and Celegorm can talk to anyone, you know that. I’ve already talked to Finrod about it. We’ll smooth things over. So, Celegorm in the West, then me at Himring, then Maglor in the Gap...”

“You’re giving Maglor the Gap permanently?” Amras asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow. “Curufin reckons it can’t be defended.”

“Not with watchtowers or walls, no,” Maedhros said calmly. “It’s too wide, of course, and the land isn’t suited to fortification. It will need to be patrolled. Maglor volunteered.”

“Maglor _volunteered?_ ” Amrod said incredulously. “Go on! Maglor never volunteers for anything!”

Maedhros laughed. “Well, on this occasion he has. I’m assigning Maglor most of our cavalry to hold the Gap. Caranthir and I will fortify the hills either side and organise supplies for Maglor’s cavalry. But that’s where you come in. We’re going to need far more horses than we have. Hay. Leather for their gear. Food for the riders. Wool and linen for their clothes. Wood for their fires. It’s going to need a lot of organisation.”

“And you want us to organise it,” Amrod said, unimpressed. “Not the most heroic of assignments!”

“I need someone I can trust to do it, and you two are by far the most able to do it well.” Maedhros said. “The hills around Himring are all right for sheep, or so I am informed, but we won’t stay warm long on the few scrubby trees in the Himring hills, and the land is not fertile enough to build up our horse-herds. East Beleriand is fine grassland, and more or less uninhabited. It’s the obvious place for us to draw our supplies from.”

“And anyway you are in command of the entire March, and can’t reasonably work on supplying all of it as well as everything else,” Amras said. “I do see that, but...”

“I need Celegorm in the West,” Maedhros said quickly. “I can’t send Caranthir anywhere near Dorthonion or Doriath. His lands in Thargelion seem to be pretty mountainous, from what we’ve found out so far: I’ve asked him to do his best with food and wool there, and with luck we can start mining too, but I need him to work on fortifications first. Anyway, I don’t want us entirely reliant on Thargelion. Maglor...” Maedhros laughed suddenly. “Can you _imagine_ Maglor organising supplies?”

Amrod winced. “It would seem horribly likely that we’d spend the winter eating soap and our own boots, for lack of meat or grain,” he admitted. “I would much prefer to have Maglor between me and the enemy than in charge of my supplies! But what about Curufin?”

“He’s my other possible choice to be in charge of building up our reserves of food, wood and horses,” Maedhros told him. “But you two are the better foragers: he’s our best smith and I’d prefer to have him working on weapons. And also...”

“You don’t want to send Curvo off on his own?” Amras said, catching a hint from something in Maedhros’s expression.

“He’s almost the youngest, and he was closest to Father,” Maedhros said. “He’d be better off with Celegorm. Celegorm will look after him and he can concentrate on the arts of weaponry.”

“That’s a good idea,” Amrod admitted reluctantly. “And where Curvo goes, Celebrimbor goes, and I would certainly feel much happier with the knowledge that Celegorm and Huan are there to watch over the boy. But still, it leaves us behind the lines.”

Maedhros smiled. “If you fancy more action, I am sure that Maglor will need a deputy or two from time to time. I don’t mean to keep you away from the fight!”

“Yes you do,” Amras said, and gave him an understanding grin. “Don’t think we can’t see it, Maedhros! We are youngest, and so we are being put as far from danger as you can send us, isn’t that right?”

Maedhros lifted his hand in acknowledgement. “All right,” he admitted. “There is a bit of that to it as well. Forgive an older brother’s instinct! But I honestly do need you to work on this. I have no-one else I can rely on to do it. It won’t be easy. I can grant you land, but I can’t spare you many people to work it. You will be between Caranthir and Doriath, too: I need to be sure that whoever is stationed there will work to minimise any... minor irritations, not fan the flames. Will you do it?”

“Of course we will,” Amrod said immediately.

Amras nodded. “Do you have any idea where we should settle? East Beleriand is huge!”

Maedhros gave him a broad grin and pulled out a second sheaf of maps and notes. “Good,” he said. “As it happens, I do have a couple of ideas.”


End file.
